Lucifer's Orbit: Three
by kat-d86
Summary: How does the Devil affect the world around him and those that live in it? Mini series showcasing normal people who meet the Devil. Anastasia always tried to take care of her friends but a Girls Night took an unexpected twist when they stepped into Lux.


**A/N: I thought it would be interesting to shine a light on the world surrounding Lucifer and how he affected those around him without focusing too much on the Devil himself. None of these have a set time frame (unless directly specified) and are intended to slot in at any point from the beginning of Season 1 to the end of Season 3. I'll leave it up to you guys where you feel they fit best. Enjoy.**

Anastasia Deighton didn't have normal parents. Her Dad's first job after leaving the military had been as a security guard on some Hollywood film and her Mom had been a stunt double for the leading lady. A work romance had turned into a marriage and they had decided to start a company together. 30 years later and Deighton Security was one of the best private security firms in the country. They covered everything from corporate espionage to body guards and if anyone in Hollywood wanted protection they were top of the 'go to' list. The rich and famous liked their privacy and were willing to pay to make sure they got it. As a result, Ana had never wanted for anything growing up and enjoyed a lifestyle most could only dream of. Her friends were the children of movie stars or CEOs, Tuesday's Mom owned a fashion line, Mercedes' Dad headed up a multi-national corporation and Brie's parents were investment bankers. The list went on and on.

To most of her friends the paparazzi, media junkies and fans that occasionally hounded them were a by-product of their parents lives and just something they tried to ignore. However, Ana's parents had made sure she understood how fast those situations could become dangerous. She'd been 12 when she finally realised that her dads constant games of hide and seek were really his way of training her in case of a home invasion. At 16 she noticed that her mom's insistence on her learning martial arts was more about teaching her to defend herself than 'just in case' she wanted to get into stunt work. Personally, she thought they were being paranoid but she knew they just wanted her to be safe. Besides, it was fun to learn ways to take down someone twice her size and the day she'd finally got the drop on her dad he'd bought her a car.

She didn't know if it was a product of her upbringing or just because she didn't like the taste, but Ana didn't drink. To be honest she just didn't really see the point of alcohol as she was more than willing to dance on tables without it. However, there were a few side effects she was slightly envious of. Her friends could order multiple cocktails, one after the other, and barely noticed they had to shout to be heard over music so loud it hurt her head. "24 and already old" they'd teased her when she mentioned it, but she didn't mind. She did sometimes feel like the only grown up in the group, even though she was technically the youngest. When they hit the town hard there would inevitably be a point where the rest of them got so drunk they were easy pickings for pick-pockets, pervs and photographers. Once they reached that stage Ana would step up and turn into the Mama Bear, making sure they all got home intact, however until that point she would party just as hard as the rest of them.

Ana loved to dance. She'd sometimes have to wait half the night before the others had downed enough drinks to feel like joining her. She never liked to start on her own, so she'd always have to wait for them but when they were finally ready she could let herself go. She was good, and she knew it. She would sway and move in time to the music and dance with anyone who could keep up with her. It was the only time she was happy to be the centre of attention and she drew _a lot_ of attention when she went all in. Even tipsy the others would roll their eyes and sigh as someone else asked her to dance and she headed back onto the floor for another song. Some of her partners didn't seem to understand that she _just_ wanted to dance but she'd only ever had to put one guy in an arm bar for not getting the hint. Her friends had found it hilarious, but Ana hadn't. She was angry at herself for not noticing before it had gone that far. Her dad had always said the best defence was to simple not be there when the fighting started. 'Read the room and know your exits' had been drilled into her since she was a kid, she'd do better next time.

It was Mercedes birthday and they had a wild night planned. Brie had offered her dad's private jet to take them all to Vegas again, but the Birthday Girl wanted to stay in LA so Ana and the others had spent weeks organising everything. They'd called all the top clubs and dropped every name they could to get put on guest lists and have VIP access. It was going to be epic. Mercedes dad had wanted her to take a bodyguard. However, Mercedes had pouted and cried about wanting a normal birthday with her friends without having some scary thug following them around and ruining their fun. Her old man hadn't budged until she'd pointed out that Ana was going to be there and only then had he finally relented. Ana's hopes of a fun filled evening instantly vanished as she realised her friend had just volunteered her as Security for the night. She would have ended up in the roll eventually, once none of the others could walk in a straight line, but now she would have to do the job all night. She been about to protest when Mercedes had hugged her, proclaimed that she was awesome, and rushed upstairs to finish getting ready.

"Make sure you take care for her" The man had said sternly, clearly worried that his daughter wasn't taking the situation seriously.

"Yes, Sir" She'd replied. What else could she say? her best friend needed her. Besides, it couldn't be too bad or else surely the old man would have put his foot down? Ana shook her head, resigning herself to the fact she would now be playing Mother Hen for most of the evening, and changed into slightly more sensible shoes before they all got into the limo and headed out.

She wasn't a real body guard. She knew how to take care of herself and, as the only sober one, she'd always watched out for her friends when they got to the careless stage of drunkenness. Yet it wasn't the same as knowing she was being held fully responsible for someone else's safety, especially not by someone as powerful as Mercedes' dad. However, she's picked up a lot from her parents so she tried her best so that her friend could have a decent birthday. The first set of clubs she kept her eyes on the crowd and made sure everyone's drinks were clean. The third place she thought a guy was watching them, but it turned out he just wanted Brie's number. When he's started to get insistent Ana had called over the bouncer and got him thrown out. The next place had been dead so they left early and headed to the crowning jewel of their evening: Lux.

The look on Mercedes face when they walked her passed the extensive line of hopefuls and the bouncer let them straight in was priceless. Ana and the others shared a celebratory smile as they entered. Lux was one of their favourite places and they'd normally have to stand in line for at least an hour to get in. It's why they normally went at the beginning of the evening then moved on to somewhere else, rather than the other way around. Unlike other places, having money did not guarantee entry which was part of the appeal. If you wanted to get into Lux you had to have class, style and…. well, OK, money helped too but the other things still counted. It had taken every bit of collective influence they had to get on the guest list, but it was totally worth it. They had a booth roped off and waiting for them and a waitress delivered a bottle of champagne within seconds of them sitting down.

"Happy Birthday Merci!" They all cheered, and Mercedes was almost crying with happiness. Ana, on the other hand, was picking out every potential exit she could see and trying to remember the location of all the fire escapes, just in case. Once she was sure she knew where they all were and how to get to them quickly she turned her attention back to her friends. It had taken a lot to arrange this, so she wasn't going to let it go to waste, especially as Lux was one of the few places the music wasn't painfully loud. It was the perfect volume for either talking or dancing and it was yet another reason she loved the place. Yet, even after a whole bottle of champagne and a round of cocktails the others were still not showing any inclination of wanting to dance. Ana had got bored waiting and resorted to scanning the crowd. She thought she saw someone familiar across the room. Was that the same guy who had been hounding Brie for her number? But the man turned away before she could be sure. Then an excited murmur rippled through the crowd and Ana turned towards the entrance to see what was happening.

Lucifer Morningstar, the club's owner and notorious playboy strode down the stairs into his domain. Everyone he passed, man or woman, turned to look at him and one girl almost swooned as he smiled in her direction. Ana couldn't blame her, he was gorgeous with his dark hair and perfect suit and she'd heard enough stories about his bedroom conquests to be curious. Maybe she should try to introduce him to Mercedes? _That would make for a memorable birthday_. She thought with a grin as she sipped her soda. She didn't even consider it for herself, after enough guys had turned her down once they realised she didn't drink she'd given up trying. She hadn't thought being sober was such a turn off, but she wasn't going to start drinking just so she could get laid. If they didn't want her as she was that was their loss. In the meantime, she'd stick to dancing.

The first few beats of one of her favourite songs started up and she decided she was tired of waiting. She'd never been able to dance at Lux before; the others had always been far too sober as it was normally only the beginning of their night. She stood from where she perched on the edge of the banquet and put down her glass. The others all looked at her, but she locked eyes with Mercedes as she held out her hand.

"Time for another present" she said with a smile. The others all looked confused for a moment until they recognised the tune that was playing and then all grinned as they realised what she had planned. As Merci took her hand they all joined in with ushering them to the dance floor and formed a rough circle around the pair. Ana pressed her chest up against Mercedes back and ran her hands over her friends shoulders then down her arms to which the Birthday Girl giggled in acute embarrassment. Ana then took her friends hand and spun her round until they were face to face. She laid her hands on Merci's hips and moved her in time to the music. She took her into an over exaggerated dip then brought her up slowly, running her hand the entire length of her body as she did so like they were in some cheesy dance movie.

The others hooted and giggled at the sensual display and Ana kept it up until she thought Mercedes couldn't stand the embarrassment anymore. She then turned to the other dancers outside their little circle. She made eye contact with the first hot guy she thought Merci's might like and beaconed him over with a curled finger and a shake of her hips. As soon as he entered their circle she grasped the front of his shirt and used it to steer him in between herself and Mercedes. The three of them danced together until she saw another hot guy watching them and she drew him over. She moved the first guy off towards where Tuesday danced and presented Mercedes with the new one. Ana kept it up until all her friends had a partner they seemed to like. She'd danced briefly with all of them as she'd lured them over, but she had yet to find anyone for herself. She liked someone who could move with her, not just bump up against her like all these ones had, and that was always hard to find on the mad rush of the dance floor.

Her friends were all enjoying themselves and she knew it would be a while before they sat back down so, as the next song started, she really started to move. This wasn't the playful, over the top, flirting she had done for Mercedes or to pull in the men her friends now danced with. This was all for herself and to show off what she could do. Someone moved next to her and she turned her attention towards them. He moved well but after a few beats he tried to grind up against her in a way she knew had nothing to do with the music. She turned away from him with a shake of her head that left him frowning and went back to dancing on her own. The next was a woman and the two of them swayed together for half of the next song. However, she was drunk and struggling to keep in time with the music. When she tried to kiss her Ana pulled away politely and gave her a chase kiss on the back of the hand before moving on. She liked dancing with woman but that was as far as her preferences went. She didn't mind being touched but the next guys hands kept edging a little too low for her liking. She deliberately bumped him into a girl she's seen who _did_ like that and went back to her solo. As the song began to end she saw her friends were all back in the booth with a few of their new acquaintances and she sighed. At least she'd managed to get some proper dancing in before they'd got tired. She began to push through the crowd to restart her self-appointed guard duty and a few of them looked up as she approached.

"Leaving so soon?" The sultry voice spoke in her ear and she turned, surprised that someone had managed to get so close without her noticing. Lucifer Morningstar looked down at her with his intense brown eyes and she found herself having to remember to breath. "The night is still young" He added as he held out his hand to her and she looked at it in a moment of incomprehension. She glanced back to her friends only to see they were all staring at her with smiles on their faces. Tuesday made urgent shooing motions in Lucifer's direct and Brie wiggled her eyebrows outrageously. Ana blushed slightly at her friends' antics as she turned back towards him. They were safe enough as long as they stayed together, and she really did want to dance more. She took his hand and he smiled.

He led her back onto the busy dance floor and she put her arms around his neck as the next song kicked in. She arched her back and flexed her hips in time to the beat and was pleasantly surprised when he matched her perfectly. As the music picked up she turned and pressed her back against his chest. They moved completely in syn and his hand lightly caressed across her stomach before resting on her hip but went no further. She pressed into him more as they danced until she felt him lean down and place a teasing kiss on the side of her neck. She smiled at the sensation but still spun away. She came to a stop facing him and pulled him closer so they were once again face to face. He smiled and lent down, clearing intending to kiss her fully, but she pressed her finger to his lips and shook her head. He raised his eyebrow, intrigued, but didn't protest. She was elated that he hadn't turned out to be like so many others and had actually taken the hint. If he wanted to dance with her then they were going to _dance_.

She took his hands and guided them back to her hips. She took up the beat again and this time she didn't hold back. She let her whole body react to the music and he matched her ever step of the way. When she finally realised he could keep up with her she let him take the lead and wasn't disappointed. He touched her no more or less than she touched him and they took turns directing each other with nothing more than a flex of the hip or squeeze of a hand. She didn't think she had ever danced with anyone who was as good as him and she found herself wondering what other 'moves' he knew.

She'd lost track of how many songs had passed when the music finally started to slow down. She tried to catch her breath as he turned her to once again face him and she decided that if he tried to kiss her again she wouldn't stop him. He looked down at her and smiled before raising his eyebrows seductively, but he didn't lean back down towards her. She realised that he wasn't going to try again unless she showed him that she wanted him to. Despite everything they'd already done she still felt slightly nervous as she stood on her tip toes and placed a light kiss on his lips. As she pulled away his smile became a wide grin of triumph before he lent down and kissed her back. It sent ripples through her and she pulled his head down more to deepen the kiss. He leaned in further at her direction and his hand began to slide incrementally lower along the outside of her thigh. She arched her back at the sensations and was just beginning to enjoy her self when someone grabbed her arm.

The newcomer pulled her away and she turned angrily until she realised it was Tuesday and Brie.

"Ana, we can't find Mercedes" They said, and she instantly felt like she'd had a bucket of ice thrown over her head. She immediately let go of her impressive dance partner. Lucifer tilted his head in response but didn't move away as she turned her attention fully to her friends.

"Where did you see her last?" She asked sternly, her eyes already scanning the club to see if she could pick out the missing Birthday Girl.

"She went to the restroom but didn't come back. She's not there, we've checked" Ana glanced at the booth and saw the rest of her friends and the men they'd picked up were still there, all except for Mercedes and one other.

"Where's the blonde guy with the blue shirt?" Ana asked. He'd been easy to spot, he was the only one she hasn't teased over with her dancing and had joined them of his own accord. The two of them looked at each other.

"I think he went to get us some more drinks" Brie said, uncertainly with a slight slur, and Ana started to feel slightly sick. _They had been letting someone else buy them drink?_

"Perhaps your friend merely wanted some privacy with the gentleman, some people do" Lucifer pointed out whilst running his hand lightly down her arm. She shivered as she found herself imagining what he could do in private that he hadn't already shown her in public. She shook herself and turned her attention back to the situation at hand.

"No, she wouldn't. Not without telling us." Ana said firmly. The girls had a code, even drunk you didn't go off with someone without telling the rest of the group first. The memory of Mercedes dad insisting they take a bodyguard suddenly replayed itself vividly in her mind. "Tuesday, call the car. Now. Brie, get everyone together and see if Merci is outside. If you can't find her by the time the Limo arrives get in the car and don't come out till I say." She tried to use the same tone of voice her dad did when ordering about his new recruits. She didn't even wait to see if they did as she said but turned and headed for the restrooms.

She slipped through the crowd like an eel, it was faster than trying to barge her way through and she quickly found herself outside the door to the ladies. She didn't bother going in, the others had already checked and she trusted them. Instead she let her eyes skim the surroundings.

"Why all the fuss?" Lucifer asked as he appeared behind her, somehow having made it through the crowd as fast as she had. She barely even noticed him as her eyes spotted a glimmer of sequins that matched Mercedes dress caught on the push bar of the fire escape. She slammed the bar down to open it, but the door only moved an inch before it hit something on the other side. She threw her shoulder against it, but it wouldn't budge so she stepped back to try kicking it when Lucifer stepped forward. He laid a single hand in the middle of the door and pushed. There was metallic scraping noise from the other side and the door opened.

Ana squeezed out as soon as the gap was big enough and saw someone had pushed a dumpster against the outside of the door. She stepped out into the alley and saw her greatest fear. The missing blonde guy was holding Mercedes up and walking her down the alley. At the end of the street two men were getting out of a waiting car and starting to walk towards them. She recognised one as the guy who'd approached Brie earlier in the night and knew she had been right, it was the same guy she'd seen inside Lux earlier. They had been following them.

"HEY!" She screamed and all of them looked at her.

'Never go toe to toe with someone bigger than you' Her mother's words rang in her head, but she didn't have time to think of anything else as she charged. The first man immediately dropped Mercedes as he turned to face her. He swung his right arm wide, aiming for her face, and instinct took over. She lent left then grabbed his wrist as his hand sailed passed her head. She twisted and pulled down, throwing him off balance. As his own momentum carried him forward she struck the back of his elbow as hard as she could with her left palm. The crack and pop of the joint dislocating made her feel sick, but she didn't hesitate as she slammed her right knee up into his stomach. He went down gasping for breath and lay on the floor whimpering. It had taken less than a second and she hadn't realised her mom had trained her that well, a fight was just another type of dance after all and she was a _very_ good dancer. She turned to see one of the others hesitate as they ran towards her.

She charged again but this time she ducked at the last moment and rammed her shoulder into the second guys chest. He was shocked by the move and she was able to slam him into the alley wall before he could react. She hit and punched and scratched in a ferocious string of attacks that, whilst not necessarily strong, were so fast his only option was to defend himself. As soon as he raised his hands to cover his head she grabbed his shoulders and brought her knee up for another stomach blow. He braced against the wall and brought up his own leg as a counter. 'Never do the same thing twice, they'll be expecting that' This time it was her Dads words. She pulled back and punched him in the sternum instead. He let out a groan and then there was the distinctive click of a gun being cocked from behind her.

"Freeze!" She has forgotten about the third guy. She immediately raised her hands and turned slowly towards him as she caught her breath. "Get the one we want and let's go" The gunman said quickly to the second guy and she took half a step back so she was between them and were Mercedes still sat on the ground. Her friend hadn't moved and was watched the whole thing with a slightly bemused expression.

"Hang on" the second guy replied. He then he stepped in front of her and punched Ana in the gut. She expelled all her breath and felt her knees start to buckle. He held her up and looked her in the eye. "You should have stayed inside" he said with a sneer and turned to leave. She almost fell to the ground as he let her go but she gritted her teeth against the pain. She couldn't believe she had been so stupid as to have gone dancing rather than look after her friends.

"So should you" she replied, and she moved. She threw her arms around his neck. The other guy raised his gun, but his associate was in the way. It was the only reason she had chosen to act. She got her right arm across the front of his throat and used her left to lock it in place. Then she practically hung off the back of his neck to drag him backward and held him there as a human shield. She could just make out the gunman try to move to get a clear shot and she tried to pivot the guy she held to stay between them. He made choking sounds and stumbled as she turned him around.

"Back off!" she shouted and risked a look back to where Mercedes was watching the whole thing with a confused look on her face. They must have put something in her drink. Even when she got completely hammered Mercedes wasn't normally this spaced out.

"That's not gonna happen" The man said and moved forward slowly. Ana took a step back, dragging her human shield with her and the mans legs started to give way as she continued to cut off his air. She knew she was out of options. If she tried to reposition her grip he would break free and his friend would shoot her. If she kept hold he would collapse and his friend would shoot her. If she surrendered they would take Mercedes and, because she's seen their faces, probably shoot her. She realised all she could do was stand between them and her friend and hope for a miracle.

"Gentlemen, I believe the lady asked you to leave" the voice was calm and suave and they all turned to look. At least Ana and the gunman did, the first guy seemed to have passed out and the second was barely conscious. He was leaning heavily on Ana and she struggled to keep him upright to maintain her cover. Lucifer stood by the open fire door with his hands in his pockets, looking more like he'd walked in on a playground scrap than an attempted kidnapping. Ana realised she had no idea how long he had been standing there. She thought he had been right behind her when she burst through the door but then why hadn't he intervened earlier? The man looked between his fallen comrades to where Lucifer stood and the dumpster they had used to cover their exit had been so easily moved aside.

"Who the hell are you people!" He shouted before starting to back away toward the waiting car. Lucifer only grinned and strode forward. Ana tried to cry out as the man raised the gun but the guy she was holding chose that exact moment to pass out. She collapsed under the sudden weight as the shot went off. She heard a meaty thump and then a crash as she pulled herself out from under him and staggered to her feet. She moved to stand in front of Mercedes, still intent on protecting her friend, only to look up and see Lucifer still standing. The gunman was slumped on the ground next to his car, a good dozen feet further down the alley, and the weapon was nowhere in sight. She tried to comprehend what had just happened as Lucifer turned back towards her whilst calmly buttoning the front of his jacket.

"Are you injured?" he asked, and it took a moment for her to realise he was speaking to her.

"What?...um," She ran her hand across her stomach where the man had punched her. It had hurt, a lot, and she knew it was going to turn into a spectacular bruise, but she was pretty sure nothing was broken. "No, not really" She could feel herself beginning to shake as the adrenaline wore off.

"Ana?" Mercedes looked up at her with heavy eyes and Anastasia immediately forgot her own discomfort to kneel beside her friend.

"Merci, are you ok?" she asked as she tried to see if her friend was injured.

"I think I want to go home now" She said dozily. Ana let out a single bark of hysterical laughter before wrapping her arms around her and hugging her tightly. She looked up to see Lucifer watching the exchange and she smiled at him as best she could.

"Thank you" she said, full of gratitude, and he nodded.

Ana was both surprised at how fast the police arrived and at the fact they didn't immediately close the club. Lucifer had called them then had a heated discussion with the female detective who arrived shortly after. A squad car had eventually turned up by the back door and taken away the kidnappers. With none of the attention on them, Ana had pulled herself together enough to walk Mercedes round to the front where the others were still waiting in the car. She'd put her friend in the limo and ordered the driver to take them all home, telling the others to call a doctor on the way so she could get checked out as soon as they got there. She made them all promise not to breath a word to anyone and said she's call them as soon as she'd sorted things out. They were clearly confused, as far as they knew Mercedes had just drunk too much and wandered off. She knew that cover story wouldn't hold for very long. As the car drove away she headed back to the alley to try and straighten things out as best she could.

The detective was not happy when she discovered that the victim had left the scene. Lucifer stood next to the cop and was clearly amused by the exchange.

"I wasn't going to leave her in danger" Ana protested to which the woman put her hands on her hips.

"We needed to talk to her" She complained to which Ana shook her head.

"She's drunk. She'll be no good till the morning. You can talk to her then, assuming her dad lets you" She couldn't help but add the last. It wasn't meant as a threat, she just knew how the old man could get when his precious little girl was involved.

"Oh? Any who would her farther be?" The detective asked, clearly frustrated.

"Nicoli Accola" She replied, and Lucifer's eyebrows went up in mild interest.

"The billionaire?" he asked, and Ana nodded.

"I guess that explains why someone would try to kidnap her, but it doesn't explain how you were able to do this?" The detective mused then turned to indicate the alley.

"My parents made sure I can take care of myself" she'd pointed out.

"And your parent would be….?"

"The Deighton's" She said.

"Deighton. Of Deighton Security?" The detective asked, and Ana nodded again. She hated having to name drop to get out of trouble, it felt like cheating, but she was willing to do almost anything to make this whole mess go away. The detective pinched the bridge of her nose and closed her eyes.

"You know what, this isn't even my case. I'm Homicide and nobody died so I'm just going to take your statement then kick this over to the FBI. Let them deal with politics" She'd said. It sounded like an escalation of the problem to Ana but it meant she could get out of the situation so she let them lead her inside. Lucifer took them up to his penthouse so they could talk in private and she gave her statement to the detective. The woman had been slightly surprised at how detailed it was but Ana had only shrugged. Then Lucifer happily regaled the detective with his side of events and eventually the woman left to file the report, leaving Ana alone with Lucifer.

The man poured out two glasses of scotch from his extensive collection as she stood carefully and walked over to the bar.

"Thank you, again" She said, and he nodded before turning towards her.

"You're welcome. I'm curious as to why you would put yourself in danger like that?" He asked as he held one of the glasses towards her and took a sip from the other.

"Because she's my friend. I promised I'd take care of her. I gave my word" She said plainly, then tried not to think about all the trouble she'd be in once all the parents found out about what had happened. Mercedes Dad would go ballistic and her Mom would probably never let her out of the house again. The others would likely have a similar reaction, but she knew her own parents would be more furious that she tried to confront three assailants on her own. She hadn't even tried to get help or be smart about it, she's just run after her friend without thinking. She replayed the fight in her mind and realised how lucky she had been. She could have easily been killed if they hadn't underestimated her.

For once she took the drink that was offered to her and took a big swallow. She coughed at the unaccustomed burning sensation then flinched at the pain that flared across her abdomen. She laid a hand across her stomach where she's been hit and tried to breath slowly. Lucifer quickly put down his drink and moved closer.

"May I?" he asked. She looked up at him before nodding slowly. He gently laid his hand over her stomach before sliding his fingers under hers and began to draw small circles across the smooth fabric of her dress. The warmth of his hand and the sensation chased the pain away and she sighed. He began to trace his other hand across the small of her back and she unconsciously leaned in to his caresses until her head was resting on his shoulder. It felt good, _really_ good, but it couldn't quite drown out the feeling of dread at the storm she knew was coming.

"I'm going to be in so much trouble" She murmured into his chest.

"Why would you think that?" he asked. She raised her head and put down the empty glass.

"Because I should have been paying more attention. I should have seen it coming and stopped it before it happened. Now they'll never let us hear the end of it" She lamented.

"Any who are 'they'?" He inquired but his hands didn't stop what they were doing.

"Our parents. People keep coming after us because of things they've done. It's not fair" She was aware she sounded like a child but she didn't care. She felt the need to finally say it out loud. It _wasn't_ fair and now she and her friends were going to suffer because of it.

"Well, I definitely don't hold with a person being punished for something someone else has done"

"You…. Fix things…right? Could you make it so it didn't happen?" She asked cautiously. She knew it was a stupid request. The police had already come and gone, there would be reports, arrests, paper trails. It was probably too late to stop it getting out.

"An let them go unpunished for their crimes? I think not" His hands stopped their ministering and she realised she'd offended him.

"No, not that. Just make it so no one knows it was Mercedes they were after, or that I tried to stop them" She clarified quickly, and he let out a huff before returning to stroking her back.

"You did more than try" He pointed out before tilting his head in consideration, "Very well. I will speak to the police and some _others_ I have occasional contact with. No on will know that your friend was the target or that you were involved."

"Thank you" She said and leaned back in to his touch.

"However, I feel compelled to point out that if I do that it will do nothing to discourage someone else from trying again." He warned. Anastasia stood up straight as she realised he was right. If no-one knew about it then nothing would change. Someone else could see how vulnerable Mercedes was and try to snatch her again. Maybe keeping _everyone_ in the dark wasn't the best idea.

"I'll tell my parents. They'll work something out and no-one else has to know about it" Ana stated, confident that they'd be able to work something out without completely shutting down Mercedes life or without getting the authorities involved. They might have to tell Merci's dad, but he would probably prefer it this way round, he'd always came across as an 'under the table' kind of guy to her.

"Very well, it's a deal" He held out his hand and she shook it immediately. "Now you owe me one" He added with a wink and she smiled back.

"Don't worry, I know how it works" She said and found her eyes running up and down his body as he stood next to her "Did you have anything you want right now?" she asked as she moved closer to him. It was all going to be alright. She knew enough about Lucifer's reputation to know he would keep his word. By the morning no-one would ever know that she and her friends had been involved. The relief chased away the dread she had been feeling and now her body was reminding her what she'd been about to do right before the situation unfolded.

"Nothing _currently_ comes to mind" He said as he started to look at her the same way as she was looking at him. She smiled up at him and took his hand.

"Then, until it does, could we finish what we started earlier?" She asked and laid his hand back on her hip. She wrapped her arm around his waist and flexed her hips against him in reminder.

"Oh, I'm sure that can be arranged" he replied with a grin before leaning down to kiss her. This time she was eager to do much more than just dance.


End file.
